Grits are one of the most common food associations people make with the South. My mother was unusual in that she didn’t really prepare grits very often. I was not a big breakfast eater and she did well to get a glass of Carnation Instant Breakfast in me before school. Even if I was interested in breakfast, I always thought grits were a pretty dull breakfast food prepared in the usual southern style with just a little salt and butter. It wasn’t until much later when I discovered grits doctored up with cheese and various other dressings that I began to really enjoy them.
A few months ago I was in Natchez at a small family reunion. The bed and breakfast where we stayed served tomato grits with breakfast one day and I’ve fantasized about them since. I wanted to develop my own spin on tomato grits so I decided that smoked tomatoes might add a dimension that could be interesting.
I have a Big Green Egg which is ideal for smoking any number of things, tomatoes included. If you don’t have a smoker, do a Google search for smoking on a gas grill and you should get similar results.
I used apple wood chips to smoke Roma tomatoes. I started the fire, threw on a handful of water-soaked chips, and placed the whole raw tomatoes on the grate. I smoked them at about 250 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. They were just starting to soften but were not falling apart.
I’ve included roasted garlic in this recipe. To roast a head of garlic, cut off the top of the head, drizzle with olive oil and bake in a small baking dish for 20 to 30 minutes in a 325 degree oven. You can tell the garlic is done if you can squeeze on the skin of a clove and it easily pops out.
Ingredients
4 smoked Roma tomatoes, as described above
4 cloves roasted garlic, as described above
1 cup course ground white corn meal
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup milk
1 cup processed tomato/garlic mixture
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 scallions, green part only, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
1. Place tomatoes and garlic in the bowl of a food processor.
2. Pulse until chunky but not liquified. Set aside
3. Bring milk, chicken stock, and tomatoes to a boil.
4. Add corn meal and stir constantly.
5. The grits will start thickening very quickly. If the mixture becomes too thick, add chicken stock until you get the right consistency.
6. After about 4 or 5 minutes, remove from the heat and add cheese and scallions.
7. Stir until the cheese is melted.
8. Serve immediately.
https://southernboydishes.com/2012/09/16/smoked-tomato-and-cheddar-grits/
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